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Morphine pumps aside, the points about the benefits of caring for a dog are well taken, IMHO. On 23 August 2011 08:26, Mary Ann Ryan <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Morphine pumps are used when a patient is in extreme pain. These devices > are not usually used in PD and can cause loss of function in PWP. > ---------- > Mary Ann (CG Jamie 68/28 with PD, died 11/20/07) > www.bentwillowfarm.org > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Nic Marais" <[log in to unmask]> > To: <[log in to unmask]**> > Sent: Tuesday, August 23, 2011 4:00 AM > Subject: Re: Check out How a dog helps treat Parkinson's | The Sun > |Woman|Health|Health > > > > Morphine pump?? >> >> Is there something about this disease that I don't know about yet?? >> >> Nic 59/17 >> >> >> On 22 August 2011 19:02, <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >> >> _How a dog helps treat Parkinson's | The Sun |Woman|Health|Health_ >>> ( >>> http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/**homepage/woman/health/health/** >>> 2970830/How-a-dog-helps-tr<http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/woman/health/health/2970830/How-a-dog-helps-tr> >>> eat-Parkinsons.html) >>> >>> >>> >>> ASTONISHED medics have revealed a remarkable treatment for Parkinson's >>> disease - a PET DOG. >>> Incredible improvements in a 28-year-old woman with the brain disease >>> have >>> been credited to her pooch. >>> Three years after being diagnosed, she was taking large doses of four >>> different drugs a day to control symptoms. >>> She also had a morphine pump for 14 hours a day and was deteriorating >>> fast. >>> But after being given a highland terrier by a friend, doctors reported >>> major improvements in symptoms and a drop in the drugs she needed. >>> Amazingly, she no longer needed her daily morphine. >>> Doctors at Imperial College London, who report her case in the Journal >>> Of >>> Neurology, said: "Remarkably sustained benefits occurred, with >>> improvement >>> in her walking and symptoms including appetite, sleep and bowel >>> function, >>> as well as socialisation." >>> Docs are unsure how the dog had such a dramatic effect, but they say >>> that >>> having to walk, feed and look after the pet encouraged her to exercise >>> regularly. >>> One theory is that the responsibility of looking after the dog and the >>> exercise involved may have had an effect on dopamine, the brain chemical >>> involved in both the movement and thinking areas of the brain. >>> It is the loss of dopamine-producing cells in the brain that leads to >>> Parkinson's and some drugs used to treat it stimulate areas of the brain >>> that >>> produce the chemical. >>> Allergies >>> Having the pet may have led to a stimulation of dopamine-producing cells >>> in a similar way. >>> It is the first time these kind of effects have been reported in >>> Parkinson's, but pets have been shown to have other health benefits too. >>> And it's not just dogs. Cats, rabbits and even goldfish can cut the risk >>> of allergies in children, lower the chances of developing hayfever and >>> reduce blood pressure. . . >>> HEART ATTACK: Having pets lowers the risk of dying after a heart attack >>> by three per cent, according to a report from Purdue University in >>> America. >>> ALLERGY: Children exposed to two or more dogs or cats during the first >>> year of life were 66 to 77 per cent less likely to have any allergies, a >>> study >>> at the Medical College Of Georgia, USA, found. >>> DEPRESSION: Researchers at the University Of Missouri found levels of >>> serotonin increased after owners stroked their dogs. Antidepressants work >>> by >>> increasing levels of the same brain chemical. >>> HAYFEVER: The allergy, which effects around 15 per cent of people in the >>> UK, is 30 per cent lower among cat owners, according to Japan's Himeji >>> Medical Association. >>> ECZEMA: Children with dogs in the home for the first three years of life >>> were half as likely to develop eczema, Marshfield Clinic in America >>> found. >>> BLOOD PRESSURE: One study at the Baker Medical Research Institute, >>> Australia, showed pet owners had significantly lower blood pressure than >>> non-owners. >>> OVERALL HEALTH: Older people with dogs make 21 per cent fewer visits to >>> a >>> doctor than non-owners, research at the University Of California >>> showed. >>> >>> >>> ------------------------------**------------------------------** >>> ---------- >>> To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto: >>> [log in to unmask] >>> In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn >>> >>> >> ------------------------------**------------------------------** >> ---------- >> To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask]** >> utoronto.ca <[log in to unmask]> >> In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn >> > > ------------------------------**------------------------------**---------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask]** > utoronto.ca <[log in to unmask]> > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn